Russia Park announces plans amid skepticism

Story by Martin Palicki — Officials from the planned Russia Park presented at IAAPA 2012 their plans for a 2,500-acre park scheduled for opening in 2018. Shaped like a miniature Russian Federation, the planned park, located 18 miles south of Moscow and near the airport, is expected to have over 10 million visitors per year. It is being designed as a public/private partnership with the hopes of encouraging cultural exchange within the regions of Russia and also throughout the world.

The park is designed to have several distinct components. Theme park “Russia” will represent all regions within Russia and function much like an expo.

An amusement park will house rides and attractions in four themed areas: Ancient Russia, Czarist Russia, Socialist Russia and New Russia. The park will be designed for year-round operation including both summer and winter amusements, with a stated goal of having 70% of attractions available all year.

A safari park will house 1,300 kinds of animals found within Russia’s borders and accommodate year-round visits.

A presidential Botanical Garden will feature over 10,000 species of plants in both indoor and outdoor settings.

Supporting architecture for the project will include hotels, restaurants featuring Russian cuisine, nightlife, shopping and a convention center.

The plan is to open an international architectural tender in the first three quarters of 2013. In quarters three and four, bidding will begin for rights to the project, with the expectation of signing contracts before the start of 2014. Construction is planned for 2015-2020, with phased openings starting in 2018, and complete operation in 2020.